David Aronovitz's biggest sale as a bookseller was a collection of first-edition copies of every Hugo and Nebula Award winner since 1953 for $116,000.

And, according to him, he has another set in storage he could sell. That is, only, if he wanted to.

Aronovitz, 66, said he's been collecting a variety of things his entire life.

Since 1981, he's amassed a remarkable stockpile of more than 30,000 books that would unhinge the jaw of an average reader -- in turn operating as a book seller that slings valuable editions of seemingly every recognizable name in literature, both fiction and non-fiction alike.

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Sitting inside the living room of his 1850's Oakland Township home that doubles as The Fine Books Company, which he's operated with his wife, Nancy, for three decades, Aronovitz said "I'm one of those people that just loves what they do."

It's fairly easy to see why: Through the business, the couple has managed to travel to every continent except Antarctica to sightsee while digging for books.

Aronovitz is a sharp, articulate, archetype wanderlust: He said he told his wife when he was 37 years old that he planned to work nonstop until he was 55 and then the two would spend the remainder of their lives traveling the world.

He said: "A couple of months later I went up to her and said, 'Remember that discussion we had about traveling? That's stupid, we should do it now.' I didn't know what my life was going to be like when I'm 55."

Aronovitz, who combines the looks of Rob Reiner with the charm of George Clooney, chats with ease on multiple topics; he maintains a vibrant persona demonstrated through well-timed witticisms, imparted wisdom and a clear appreciation of how fortunate he's been to make a living doing something he's loved.

His wife, whom he met through a game of Scrabble and has been married to for 32 years, concurred the assessment of character.

"Life around David is never dull," Nancy Aronovitz, 72, said.

The two were previously married. They became more acquainted after the mutual male friend who introduced the two called David one day to ask him to drive to his house located across the street from Nancy's current home -- where the couple has lived since being married -- to see if his wife was selling his things in a garage sale.

David arrived at the garage sale to discover, the wife, clearly upset about their ongoing divorce, was in fact selling some things the friend owned. Nancy was in the garage when David and his friend arrived and after catching up, he asked her if she'd like "to go for a drive" the following day.

She said yes to a first date.

Not a typical bookstore

Although bookstore chains and resale shops have gone belly up in droves recently, the couple has no concerns about their stability, mostly because of what Fine Books specializes in.

No cheap mass market paperbacks are found here. However, you will find a half-dozen unique editions of Ernest Hemingway's "Farewell To Arms" in various forms, like the original six copies of Scribner's Magazine where it was initially published before being reproduced as a book.

And anyone interested in dropping by to peruse the shelves can't do so during set store hours because there aren't any. Appointments must be made to come browse, especially if someone were to find a book through the store's online catalogue that isn't physically located at their home because some are stored elsewhere.

"A woman called me once asking for a certain title. I asked her if she was looking for something to read or something to collect," David Aronovitz said. "She told me, 'Something to read.' I told her, 'This is the worst call you could possible make.' "

Why? Well, a first edition copy of "The Life and Times of Simón Bolívar," a biography on the Venezuelan military leader, wouldn't set someone back too much at $12.95. But a set of first-edition, first-printings of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy carries a price tag of nearly $31,000.

What's particularly interesting about Aronovitz's situation is it would be virtually impossible today. Thirty years ago, the couple could've gone to an estate sale, purchased a book for a couple of dollars they knew was valued at hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Today, though, with the Internet and the widespread accessibility to finding a book's worth, "it's very rare to make a score like that," Aronovitz said.

Once the couple gathered the institutional knowledge early on that's required to scope out a good deal, they scoured for more deals and eventually managed to get a business off the ground.

"Many shops, all they want to do was make a profit," Nancy Aronovitz said. "They didn't buy into the collecting aspect of the books."

When the couple would travel to an area like Scandanavia they'd have an easy time finding valuable editions of books by American and British authors for cheap because they were in less demand, she explained.

David said in regards to the Internet: "The upside is, we can now sell books to someone living in Madagascar. It's a good tradeoff."

Over time, as the business steadily grew, they managed to live out the life David promised Nancy -- traveling the world.

The couple doesn't have any children of their own, as David said he didn't want to have any. Nancy had three with her first husband -- a son, Richard, who lives in Ferndale, and two daughters; Diane who lives in San Francisco; and Julia, who resides in Ireland with three grandchildren.

Their entire house is blanketed by photos from the dozens of places they've visited over the years, including the Iguazu Falls in South America, Sri Lanka, Australia, Africa and more.

"We've been traveling since 1984,"Aronovitz said. "It's spectacular."

In some case, the two have come in contact with well-known writers, actors and movie directors.

While on a trip to California, David found author Ray Bradbury's home, walked up to the door and introduced himself.

He showed a framed photo of the two taken in 2002 and said they had been longtime friends until Bradbury's passing last year.

The book business also lead to a loose connection with film director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Cruise.

Spielberg and Cruise teamed up for the 2005 film adaptation of H.G. Wells classic novel "The War of The Worlds."

After the filming wrapped, the cast held a party to celebrate its completion. As a gift, Cruise and Spielberg's co-producer Kathleen Kennedy were given first-edition copies of Wells' book that was purchased through the Aronovitzs.

The couple still packs up a selection of books and hits the road for four national book fairs every year; two in Michigan and the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America's Book Fairs in New York City and California.

David happily boasts that they're the only bookseller in Michigan that has attended the ABBA's annual fair in the Big Apple for the past quarter century.

Even if he's older and has managed to scoop up more than most book lovers could ever dream of having, David said he's not finished with hunting for the next gem.

His ability to pick up any book out of the litter and make a particular comment on it is far impressive; he admits to having a connection and story tied to virtually each piece of work he owns.

One area in the home holds a stockpile of many books and some manuscripts and letters recently processed into their catalogue. It is a mess.

That's OK, though.

"I am happy to admit that I still collect books," David said. "Good book collectors are gluttons."